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Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: After four months of testing, I can’t part with it
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the best showcase of consistent excellence and a solid return to innovative streak, despite not being the beefiest warrior in the Android ecosystem.
Plans advance for science center transformation
Plans to transform the former St. Petersburg Science Center at 7701 22nd Ave. N. into a $25 million Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence cleared a key milestone as the St.
New mock drafts offer possibilities for potential Penguin picks
It’s getting to be mock draft season with the event now three weeks away, let’s check on a few of them. 22. Pittsburgh Penguins: Adam Novotny, LW (Peterborough Petes, OHL) Novotný would be a stellar pick here. He’s a rugged forward with an excellent shot – something we saw plenty of times with Peterborough. Novotný surpassed the […]
Here’s the cockroach of credit myths that just refuses to die
Some credit card holders still think you need to carry a balance and pay interest on it to build or maintain an excellent credit score.
From Masters of the Universe to Monteverdi: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead
The cartoon favourite and Mattel toy He-Man battles Skeletor on the big screen, and Garsington continues its run of excellent early operas
Lauren O’Connor recognized as emerging leader in nutrition sciences
The award promotes excellence in nutrition sciences as evidenced by research, leadership, initiative, collaboration and communication.
Harvey Ward: With steady leadership, UF’s brightest days are ahead
'Our university and the hundreds of thousands of good people who love and depend on it deserve steady and excellent leadership.'
Phillies lean on Wheeler's excellence, García's power in sweep
Zack Wheeler rode his fastball in a dominant bounce-back start, while Adolis García gave the Phillies needed right-handed thump.
Reds' Chase Burns: Excellent campaign continues
Reds' Chase Burns: Excellent campaign continues
The Rabbit Hole of Everyday Questions with Emily Zhang
Emily Zhang has created dozens of YouTube videos, receiving over 300 million views on subjects from the physics of bowling to the invention of blue LED. This year she started Rabbit Hole, a channel that offers “extraordinary answers to everyday questions.” We spoke with Zhang — a 2025 winner of the National Academies’ Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications — about Rabbit Hole and her experiences with YouTube as a medium for science communication.
Elections to top science bodies test Croatia’s gender equality in research
Croatia’s track-record on gender equality in science has been both questioned and lauded in recent months, following both bad and good news on the topic. On the one hand, a senior awards committee was announced without a single woman researcher included. On the other, the national science academy welcomed its first cohort of fellows with more women than men.Members of the committee, which gives national awards recognising scientific achievement, are proposed by the ministry of science and endorsed by the parliament. The current line-up does include a woman, but she is culture minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek rather than a researcher. Even then, she didn’t make it into the photograph released to announce the appointments on April 16. “The image speaks a thousand words,” says Tanja Rudež, a science journalist for Jutarnji List newspaper. “I am surprised that none of these men, all well-known scientists, saw a problem with the fact that there was not a single successful female scientist on the committee,” she told Science|Business.Ivan Đikić, a prominent Croatian biochemist based at Goethe University Medical School, commented on LinkedIn that the news illustrated a “sad truth” about the state of science in Croatia.“It [. . .] reveals a system where women, despite contributing a substantial share of high-quality, internationally competitive science, are systematically excluded from the very processes that determine recognition and influence,” he wrote. Some 60% of researchers in Croatia are women, according to the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, and they perform well in international competitions. For example, of the 12 European Research Council (ERC) grants awarded to Croatian researchers, seven went to women.“So how is it possible that decision-making bodies are still dominated by men over 60, while not a single female ERC laureate is involved in the selection process?” asked Đikić. “This is not a marginal oversight; it is a structural failure.” The ministry of science did not reply to a request for comment. The awards committee is not unusual. For example, a scientific advisory body announced by the ministry of demographics in April comprises 35 men and five women. The board of the Croatian Science Foundation, newly appointed by the parliament, is a little better, with five men and two women, but still unequal. “This is especially significant because such bodies do not merely distribute prestige. They shape research priorities, funding allocation and long-term scientific development,” Marija Lugarić, chair of the parliament’s committee on gender equality, told Science|Business. “Representation here matters not only symbolically, but materially.”Referring to the awards committee and the board of the science foundation, Lugarić says that while both bodies were appointed by parliament, neither met the minimum 40% gender balance threshold that Croatian law and EU guidelines expressly recommend for public bodies.Đikić wants to see EU institutions put pressure on the government to ensure basic standards of fairness, transparency and democratic governance in science policy are met. “Meaningful change will not come without pressure,” he wrote. “It must intensify both within Croatia and at the level of European institutions. Anything less undermines the credibility of Europe’s commitment to excellence and inclusion in science.”Rudež also underlined the importance of talking and writing about this topic, “because public opinion in Croatia does influence changes in the status and visibility of women in science.”The European Commission has not yet responded to a request for comment.Good news from the academyA more positive story came from the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts on 21 May, with the announcement of seven new women fellows and five men. This is the first time in the academy’s 165-year history that women have outnumbered men in a new intake.One of the new fellows, two-time ERC grantee Iva Tolić, credits the academy leadership with trying to be more modern and inclusive, representing the whole community better. “The academy is really aware that so far, before this election, there were very few women,” she told Science|Business. “So, they are actively trying to make this more equal.”Related articlesExplained: How the MSCA is close to achieving gender balanceCall for EU to leverage academic freedom in global talent raceRudež is more cautious, noting that despite the academy’s “breakthrough this year [. . .] it is still a predominantly male institution, with only 18% women.”This reflects a wider imbalance in Croatia’s research landscape. “The key levers of power in science are still in the hands of men,” she went on. “For example, all 14 rectors of private and public universities are men.”Similarly, Lugarić says a structural glass ceiling still exists in Croatian science, which is “most visible precisely where power is exercised.”She cites data from the Commission’s She Figures 2024 report, which shows that Croatia ranks second in the EU for gender equality in research and innovation overall, with an equality index of 79.6 out of 100. It is in the top five for women’s career advancement, participation in research; representation across all research sectors and for scientific publications.In stark contrast, it ranks second to last when it comes to women in decision-making positions in science. “This is not a coincidence,” Lugarić says. “It is a structural pattern.”Informal barriersThe persistent under-representation of women in the highest structures of Croatia’s academies, boards, award committees and leadership positions is not down to formal barriers, Lugarić says, but arises from more subtle obstacles such as “informal networks, persistent expectations regarding traditional gender roles and the unequal distribution of care responsibilities.”Tolić would like to see more support for young women in terms of affordable housing and child support, and higher salaries. Currently, she says, salaries in science stay low for the first 10-15 years, while housing and spaces in kindergarten are limited and expensive. “You have to work a lot, you get very little money, so it’s not great to have a family in this situation,” she says.But despite the challenges, Tolić is optimistic, saying that gender equality in research in Croatia is “definitely improving and going in the right direction.” The situation is particularly promising in biology, she adds, where most full professors, heads of department and deans of faculties are women. Lugarić, too, see the glass ceiling “very slowly, cracking,” and cites the academy election as an example that structural change is possible. Yet the situation in the national awards committee is a “stark reminder that without a conscious, systemic commitment to gender balance, progress will remain slow and uneven.”
Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac Will Soon Stop Letting You Edit Documents
Microsoft will prevent Office 2019 for Mac owners from editing their documents from July 13, a restriction the company is attributing to the productivity suite's expiring digital certificate. The Office 2019 apps affected include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. Once the certificate used to confirm the suite's license expires, these apps will drop into what Microsoft is calling "reduced functionality mode".
Trump news at a glance: president in ‘excellent health’, his doctor says after routine medical check
Three-page memo released by White House provides overview of 79-year-old president’s medical checkup– key US politics stories from Saturday, 30 May at a glance
Trump in ‘excellent health,’ took cognitive test, doctor says
President Donald Trump “remains in excellent health,” according to the White House doctor, after undergoing a physical earlier this week that included a cognitive test.
Donald Trump’s physician says the president is in ‘excellent health’ and is ‘fully fit’ to serve
Donald Trump’s physician says the president is in “excellent health” and is “fully fit” to serve as commander in chief.
Trump’s physician says the president is in 'excellent health' and is 'fully fit' to serve
Trump's Doctor Says He's in 'Excellent Health,' Urges Weight Loss
The White House released a report from President Trump’s latest medical visit. Here’s what it says.
White House releases Trump's physical results, says he's in 'excellent health' but almost obese
President Donald Trump's doctor recommended he exercise more and lower the regular aspirin dose that has contributed to his skin bruising.
Trump’s doctor recommends he lose weight, exercise more but says he is in ‘excellent health’
The White House released the results of President Donald Trump’s May physical late Friday evening, with his physician recommending he lose weight and exercise more while noting he is in "excellent health."
The Arduboy FX-C is an excellent time killer you might forget you’re carrying
The Arduboy FX-C is still an excellent handheld you can carry in your wallet.
White House releases Trump's physical results, says he's in 'excellent health' but almost obese
The White House doctor recommended increased physical activity and weight loss.
Trump in ‘excellent health' after annual physical, White House doctor says
President Donald Trump has been declared in “excellent health" and “fully fit" to serve as commander in chief following a comprehensive medical exam.
White House releases memo describing results of Trump’s health checkup
President in ‘excellent’ health, despite ‘lower leg swelling’ and hand bruising after fourth hospital visit in second term
Trump in 'excellent health,' White House physician says after president's physical exam
President Donald Trump is in "excellent health" and is "fully fit to carry out all duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State," his doctor said.
Physical results says Trump is in 'excellent health'
Physical results says Trump is in 'excellent health'
Trump’s physician says the president is in 'excellent health' and is 'fully fit' to serve
Trump underwent a CT scan and other heart imaging, along with cancer screenings and other preventative assessments carried out by 22 specialists.
UW’s Collins receives posthumous national award for aquatic science excellence
University of Wyoming faculty member Sarah Collins, who passed away in October following a courageous battle with cancer, has been honored posthumously by the Association for the Sciences of Limnology
Trump in excellent health after annual checkup, doctor says
The White House releases the results of the US president's latest medical examination, which states he is "fully fit" to carry out his duties.
White House Releases Results of Trump’s Latest Physical Exam
The report by President Trump’s physician said he was in “excellent health.” It showed that he had gained weight and that neurological and heart tests had come back “normal.”
Trump Remains in ‘Excellent Physical Health,’ White House Doctor Report Says
The president has gained 14 pounds since his last physical exam in 2025, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella said in the report.
Trump’s doctor says he is in ‘excellent health’ after latest checkup
While the president’s medical reports says he remains fit to serve, independent physicians have raised questions about the recurrent bruises on his hands and swelling in his legs.
Trump’s doctor says he is in ‘excellent health’ after latest checkup
While the president’s medical reports says he remains fit to serve, independent physicians have raised questions about the recurrent bruises on his hands and swelling in his legs.
Trump in ‘Excellent Health,’ Took Cognitive Test, Doctor Says
President Donald Trump “remains in excellent health,” according to the White House doctor, after undergoing a physical earlier this week which included a cognitive test.
White House memo says Trump ‘remains in excellent health’ after physical
President Trump “remains in excellent health,” his physician wrote in a memo released by the White House late Friday following the president’s annual physical exam earlier this week. Tr…
White House says Trump is in "excellent health" in results from physical
President Trump's physician said in a letter released Friday that the president is in "excellent health," following a physical earlier this week at Walter Reed National Military Hospital.
Trump remains in excellent health, White House memo says
U.S. President Donald Trump remains in excellent health, with strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological and overall physical function, the White House said in a memo on Friday, citing results from a medical examination this week.
Trump Remains in Excellent Health, White House Memo Says
May 29 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump remains in excellent health, with strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological and overall physical function, the White House said in a memo on Friday, citing results from a medical examination this week. After his visit to Walter Reed National ...
Trump’s doctor recommends he lose weight and exercise more but says he is in "excellent health’
The White House released the results of President Donald Trump’s May physical late Friday evening, sharing a memo from his physician recommending he lose weight and exercise more while noting he is in excellent health.
Trump’s doctor recommends he lose weight and exercise more but says he is in "excellent health’
The White House released the results of President Donald Trump’s May physical late Friday evening, sharing a memo from his physician recommending he lose weight and exercise more while noting he is in excellent health.
Trump in ‘excellent health,’ president’s physican says
Trump, who will turn 80 in June, is the oldest person to assume the presidency.
Trump’s physician says the president is in ‘excellent health’ and is ‘fully fit’ to serve
Donald Trump’s physician says the president is in “excellent health” and is “fully fit” to serve as commander in chief after a medical exam Tuesday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Trump’s physician says president is in 'excellent health'
Donald Trump’s physician says the president is in “excellent health” and is “fully fit” to serve as commander in chief after a medical exam Tuesday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Trump’s physician says the president is in 'excellent health' and is 'fully fit' to serve
Donald Trump's physician says the president is in “excellent health” and is “fully fit” to serve as commander in chief after a medical exam Tuesday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. A r...
Leahy, Russo represent MHS at National Women and Girls in Sports Day
On May 19, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association hosted the annual celebration of National Women and Girls in Sports Day at Faneuil Hall in Boston. This event recognizes two exceptional female athletes from each high school in the state. It’s designed to honor their contributions to their respective sports, commitment to sportsmanship and excellence in
Preview: Expectations mount for UNC's Fall sports in 2026
Dubbed “the University of National Champions,” with 52 team national titles across eight different sports, UNC athletics has long been defined by excellence and expectation. Heading into the 2026 season, here’s a look at some of UNC’s most renowned programs.
RWJBarnabas Health Recognized for Excellence By the American College of Cardiology
RWJBarnabas Health has earned Cardiac Catheterization Lab Accreditation from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) in recognition of the health system’s excellence and consistency in delivering heart care.
Dr. Alexander Chiu Awarded UW Health Rising Star Clinical Practice Award
Dr. Alexander Chiu, assistant professor in the Division of Endocrine Surgery, was awarded the UW Health Rising Star Clinical Practice Award at the Physician Excellence Awards Reception on May 20. The UW Health Rising Star …
UW College of Health Sciences Recognizes Award-Winning Faculty and Sta
The University of Wyoming’s College of Health Sciences recently recognized faculty and staff excellence in categories including service, teaching and career achievement at its annual 2026 faculty/staf
Review: Fitbit Air is a near-perfect fitness tracker with an imperfect AI Health Coach
Google's latest wearable is a great tracker for an excellent price, but the Fitbit Air's AI-powered Health Coach has plenty of room to grow.
Mount View MS Excels at 2026 National Science Olympiad
Mount View Middle School (MVMS) students medaled in three events (hovercraft, water quality and codebusters) and placed 10th as a team in Division B of the 2026 National Science Olympiad Tournament, held recently at the University of Southern California.
Polish scientists and students rally in campaign for 3% funding target
Polish scientists and students have been flooding social media with calls on the government to raise research and development spending as part of 3% for Science, 100% for Poland, a campaign born earlier this month out of frustration with chronic underfunding in the academic sector. On May 27, thousands took the slogan on to the streets.The EU has been trying to convince member states to raise their R&D expenditures to 3% of GDP for more than two decades, but the idea has never gained traction in capitals. Finance ministers were too busy plugging budget holes created in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis, then the Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and now the war in Iran.Critics say that countries missed or ignored the target because it is voluntary, but also because research communities have rarely raised their voice to put pressure on national governments. The European Commission hopes to make the target legally binding in the upcoming European Research Area Act, an EU-wide regulation that should be announced by the end of the year. Academia in Poland has been faced with a funding crisis for years, often leaving its members with no other choice but to work abroad in order to access better resources, or leave the sector altogether in the hope of earning a decent living. The risk, in the long-term, is that brain drain stifles local innovation capacity and technological competitiveness.In just a few weeks, the movement rallied nationwide support, including from major academic bodies and trade unions such as the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland and the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Its public petition collected more than 23,000 signatures. On May 27, it formed the first large protest for science in Poland, gathering thousands of people in front of the parliament building in Warsaw.Ilona Uryga-Bugajska, representative of the Marie Curie Alumni Association Poland Chapter, was there. “The protest was peaceful, with no incidents reported, and the entire event took place in a respectful and calm atmosphere,” she said. Banners she saw in the crowd carried slogans such as “A little longer and I’ll be teaching in a supermarket,” “National culture, starvation salary,” “Stop the destruction of science,” “Passion will not pay the rent,” “Without action, don’t expect a better future,” and “Pull science out of the hole.” She also observed a strong presence of young researchers, who are on the frontline of Poland’s academic crisis.“Academics are usually people who prefer discussion, analysis, dialogue and compromise. We are not a group that protests easily,” said Katarzyna Marzec, professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Jagiellonian University Medical College and AGH University of Krakow, who also took part. “But many of us feel that we have been pushed against the wall.”Aleksandra Rutkowska, translational neuroscientist and research group leader at the Medical University of Gdańsk, agreed. “Frustration in the scientific community is very high,” she said. “Science is often used politically as a symbol of innovation and modernity, but the everyday reality inside many institutions is much more difficult. There is a large gap between the public narrative and the actual condition of the sector.”Maria Wiktoria Górna, head of the structural biology group at the University of Warsaw and one of the organisers of the movement, told Science|Business that the campaign would continue without proven results. This might involve another strike in the autumn, she said. “Empty promises are not enough by now.”Campaign demandsAccording to Uryga-Bugajska, the organisers officially presented their demands and concerns to representatives of the government present at the event. These included Marek Gzik, deputy minister of science and higher education, and Karolina Zioło-Pużuk, secretary of state of that same ministry.The headline demand, for the government to increase national spending on R&D to 3% of GDP by 2030, should be within Poland’s economic capacity, Rutkowska said. “The real question is whether there is genuine long-term political commitment to treating science as a strategic priority rather than a slogan.”In 2024, R&D expenditure in Poland stood at 1.41% of GDP, which is slightly above the average for central and eastern Europe, with countries such as Czechia recording 1.82%, Hungary 1.31% and Romania 0.46%. However, it falls noticeably short of the EU average of 2.24%, which just a handful of countries exceed, including Germany, Belgium and Sweden.Campaigners are also asking for fair wages for scientific staff, including PhD stipends and junior academic salaries, which are widely considered uncompetitive. Starting doctoral scholarships amount to some €843 gross per month, when the statutory minimum wage stands at €1,135. By pushing early-career researchers out of Poland, growing precarity has caused a generational gap in the academic workforce, with just 25% of lecturers aged under 40. In this context, the movement fears that scientific careers could soon be accessible to a privileged minority only.Grzegorz Spólnik is a case in point. After 15 years working in mass spectrometry at the Polish Academy of Sciences, he decided to leave partly “to earn enough money to live a normal life,” he said. “At that time, my earnings were similar to those of people working in grocery shops, and the work-life balance is something that does not exist in science, or is very hard to achieve.”Now a senior field service engineer for Polish laboratory equipment supplier Bioanalytic, he would consider going back to research, “but never in the public sector, maybe some start-up or a big private company with ambitious R&D.”The campaigners want to see more support for basic research and have called for €236 million to be added to the budget of the National Science Centre (NCN) in 2027 so that the average grant application success rate does not fall below 25%.“At the protest, there was a banner I particularly liked: ‘NCN is not a lottery.’ Unfortunately, for many researchers, it increasingly feels exactly like one,” Marzec said. “Personally, I am one of the lucky ones. I work at two of the strongest institutions in the country, where the research standards are very high. I know that in many other institutions, the situation is much worse and obtaining funding for research at an early-career stage is becoming nearly impossible.”Rutkowska also considers herself fortunate. After studying abroad and holding a postdoctoral position, she returned to Poland, where her pay was supported through an NCN-funded project linked to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. “This also made me very aware that good research conditions in Poland often depend on external competitive funding rather than on stable support from the system itself,” she said.Long-term strategyBeyond the lack of funds for both salaries and grants, scientists believe that the issue is structural. “The biggest problem at the moment is the complete lack of a clear long-term strategy for the development of science and research from the current government,” Marzec said. “Everything ends with declarations and promises that are never truly followed by concrete actions or structural reforms.”Rutkowska agreed, citing a lack of infrastructure, continuity and long-term institutional support.“Running a research group in Poland often means functioning as an entire institution at once,” she said. “I am a principal investigator, a mentor, a recruiter, a project administrator and, when needed, still someone who returns to the lab bench to help with experiments,” she went on. “This creates a large hidden workload that takes time and energy away from actual science. At times, it feels as though scientists are no longer expecting extra help; we simply hope the system will stop creating additional obstacles that make research unnecessarily difficult.”Related articlesStrategic thinking: Germany funds joint research with Poland and FrancePoland to transfer €30M of regional funds to boost Horizon Europe participationPoland is funding fewer basic research grants as high inflation hitsIn short, “academics are expected to teach, publish papers, apply for grants and conduct high-quality research, while funding and salaries remain very limited,” said Uryga-Bugajska, who returned to her home country after 13 years in the UK.According to Marzec, another issue is the way that research institutions are evaluated. Previously, this took place every four years, with a clear differentiation between stronger and weaker institutions. “The current government, perhaps to avoid political backlash, effectively concluded that everyone is doing well, so in practice no meaningful evaluation took place,” she said.But in her view, “some form of serious assessment is necessary” to ensure the excellence and international competitiveness of Polish institutions, and to determine how to best use public resources and where institutional structures need reform. “Some institutions may need to rethink hiring practices in order to attract ambitious young researchers who are capable of obtaining competitive grants and building internationally visible research groups.” Rutkowska has already had to adapt. “When hiring PhD students, I often have to combine different funding sources creatively to make positions attractive enough for talented people to stay in science,” she said. “Many young researchers do not see a stable future in academia in Poland, and that is deeply worrying.”
Polish scientists and students rally in campaign for better conditions
Polish scientists and students have been flooding social media with calls on the government to raise research and development spending as part of 3% for Science, 100% for Poland, a campaign born earlier this month out of frustration with chronic underfunding in the academic sector. On May 27, thousands took the slogan on to the streets.The EU has been trying to convince member states to raise their R&D expenditures to 3% of GDP for more than two decades, but the idea has never gained traction in capitals. Finance ministers were too busy plugging budget holes created in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis, then the Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and now the war in Iran.Critics say that countries missed or ignored the target because it is voluntary, but also because research communities have rarely raised their voice to put pressure on national governments. The European Commission hopes to make the target legally binding in the upcoming European Research Area Act, an EU-wide regulation that should be announced by the end of the year. Academia in Poland has been faced with a funding crisis for years, often leaving its members with no other choice but to work abroad in order to access better resources, or leave the sector altogether in the hope of earning a decent living. The risk, in the long-term, is that brain drain stifles local innovation capacity and technological competitiveness.In just a few weeks, the movement rallied nationwide support, including from major academic bodies and trade unions such as the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland and the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Its public petition collected more than 23,000 signatures. On May 27, it formed the first large protest for science in Poland, gathering thousands of people in front of the parliament building in Warsaw.Ilona Uryga-Bugajska, representative of the Marie Curie Alumni Association Poland Chapter, was there. “The protest was peaceful, with no incidents reported, and the entire event took place in a respectful and calm atmosphere,” she said. Banners she saw in the crowd carried slogans such as “A little longer and I’ll be teaching in a supermarket,” “National culture, starvation salary,” “Stop the destruction of science,” “Passion will not pay the rent,” “Without action, don’t expect a better future,” and “Pull science out of the hole.” She also observed a strong presence of young researchers, who are on the frontline of Poland’s academic crisis.“Academics are usually people who prefer discussion, analysis, dialogue and compromise. We are not a group that protests easily,” said Katarzyna Marzec, professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Jagiellonian University Medical College and AGH University of Krakow, who also took part. “But many of us feel that we have been pushed against the wall.”Aleksandra Rutkowska, translational neuroscientist and research group leader at the Medical University of Gdańsk, agreed. “Frustration in the scientific community is very high,” she said. “Science is often used politically as a symbol of innovation and modernity, but the everyday reality inside many institutions is much more difficult. There is a large gap between the public narrative and the actual condition of the sector.”Maria Wiktoria Górna, head of the structural biology group at the University of Warsaw and one of the organisers of the movement, told Science|Business that the campaign would continue without proven results. This might involve another strike in the autumn, she said. “Empty promises are not enough by now.”Campaign demandsAccording to Uryga-Bugajska, the organisers officially presented their demands and concerns to representatives of the government present at the event. These included Marek Gzik, deputy minister of science and higher education, and Karolina Zioło-Pużuk, secretary of state of that same ministry.The headline demand, for the government to increase national spending on R&D to 3% of GDP by 2030, should be within Poland’s economic capacity, Rutkowska said. “The real question is whether there is genuine long-term political commitment to treating science as a strategic priority rather than a slogan.”In 2024, R&D expenditure in Poland stood at 1.41% of GDP, which is slightly above the average for central and eastern Europe, with countries such as Czechia recording 1.82%, Hungary 1.31% and Romania 0.46%. However, it falls noticeably short of the EU average of 2.24%, which just a handful of countries exceed, including Germany, Belgium and Sweden.Campaigners are also asking for fair wages for scientific staff, including PhD stipends and junior academic salaries, which are widely considered uncompetitive. Starting doctoral scholarships amount to some €843 gross per month, when the statutory minimum wage stands at €1,135. By pushing early-career researchers out of Poland, growing precarity has caused a generational gap in the academic workforce, with just 25% of lecturers aged under 40. In this context, the movement fears that scientific careers could soon be accessible to a privileged minority only.Grzegorz Spólnik is a case in point. After 15 years working in mass spectrometry at the Polish Academy of Sciences, he decided to leave partly “to earn enough money to live a normal life,” he said. “At that time, my earnings were similar to those of people working in grocery shops, and the work-life balance is something that does not exist in science, or is very hard to achieve.”Now a senior field service engineer for Polish laboratory equipment supplier Bioanalytic, he would consider going back to research, “but never in the public sector, maybe some start-up or a big private company with ambitious R&D.”The campaigners want to see more support for basic research and have called for €236 million to be added to the budget of the National Science Centre (NCN) in 2027 so that the average grant application success rate does not fall below 25%.“At the protest, there was a banner I particularly liked: ‘NCN is not a lottery.’ Unfortunately, for many researchers, it increasingly feels exactly like one,” Marzec said. “Personally, I am one of the lucky ones. I work at two of the strongest institutions in the country, where the research standards are very high. I know that in many other institutions, the situation is much worse and obtaining funding for research at an early-career stage is becoming nearly impossible.”Rutkowska also considers herself fortunate. After studying abroad and holding a postdoctoral position, she returned to Poland, where her pay was supported through an NCN-funded project linked to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. “This also made me very aware that good research conditions in Poland often depend on external competitive funding rather than on stable support from the system itself,” she said.Long-term strategyBeyond the lack of funds for both salaries and grants, scientists believe that the issue is structural. “The biggest problem at the moment is the complete lack of a clear long-term strategy for the development of science and research from the current government,” Marzec said. “Everything ends with declarations and promises that are never truly followed by concrete actions or structural reforms.”Rutkowska agreed, citing a lack of infrastructure, continuity and long-term institutional support.“Running a research group in Poland often means functioning as an entire institution at once,” she said. “I am a principal investigator, a mentor, a recruiter, a project administrator and, when needed, still someone who returns to the lab bench to help with experiments,” she went on. “This creates a large hidden workload that takes time and energy away from actual science. At times, it feels as though scientists are no longer expecting extra help; we simply hope the system will stop creating additional obstacles that make research unnecessarily difficult.”Related articlesStrategic thinking: Germany funds joint research with Poland and FrancePoland to transfer €30M of regional funds to boost Horizon Europe participationPoland is funding fewer basic research grants as high inflation hitsIn short, “academics are expected to teach, publish papers, apply for grants and conduct high-quality research, while funding and salaries remain very limited,” said Uryga-Bugajska, who returned to her home country after 13 years in the UK.According to Marzec, another issue is the way that research institutions are evaluated. Previously, this took place every four years, with a clear differentiation between stronger and weaker institutions. “The current government, perhaps to avoid political backlash, effectively concluded that everyone is doing well, so in practice no meaningful evaluation took place,” she said.But in her view, “some form of serious assessment is necessary” to ensure the excellence and international competitiveness of Polish institutions, and to determine how to best use public resources and where institutional structures need reform. “Some institutions may need to rethink hiring practices in order to attract ambitious young researchers who are capable of obtaining competitive grants and building internationally visible research groups.” Rutkowska has already had to adapt. “When hiring PhD students, I often have to combine different funding sources creatively to make positions attractive enough for talented people to stay in science,” she said. “Many young researchers do not see a stable future in academia in Poland, and that is deeply worrying.”
Saquon Barkley sought advice from Rams legend
Barkley reached out to Todd Gurley to get advice on excelling in a Sean McVay system
Shaping global leaders: UH Hilo’s CoBE Business Night 2026 | The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo College of Business and Economics (CoBE) honored emeritus faculty member Benjamin Zenk at CoBE Business Night 2026 with the inaugural Marcia Sakai Excellence in Service Award. With more than three decades at UH Hilo, Sakai helped shape CoBE into a leading business school. “We hold a distinction that places
UH Hilo’s business school unveiled a brand-new service award at its gala run entirely by graduating seniors.
Scotland Health’s home-based care program earns AHA Rural Hospital Excellence in Innovation Award recognition
Scotland Health at Home began with one goal: Connect patients to treatment, no matter where they were.
Sony is offering up to 50 percent off some of our favorite PS5 games
Including the excellent Ghost of Yōtei.
National Institutes of Health Nutrition Education Challenge
NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI) assists in the use of crowdsourcing across the federal government. CoECI’s NASA Tournament
Celebrate Compassionate Nursing: Our Newest Daisy Award Honoree 062726
CaroMont Health is proud to be a DAISY Award partner, a recognition program created to express gratitude to nurses and to enable patients to thank and honor their nurses. Our most recent honorees exemplify excellence in nursing.
French Open: Coco Gauff cruises in first round with quick win over Taylor Townsend
Coco Gauff's bid to repeat as French Open champion got off to an excellent start Tuesday.
White House touts Trump's 'excellent health' ahead of annual physical
"President Trump is the sharpest and most accessible President in American history," spokesperson Davis Ingle said.
Trump’s advanced age and threats to his life serve as reminders of his own mortality
When President Donald Trump’s doctors release a summary of the physical exam he is scheduled to undergo Tuesday, the document is almost certain to conclude he remains in excellent health, if his previous assessments offer any indication.
Charlotte business news roundup: Wegmans, I-77 tolls and more. What to know
Wegmans is coming, I-77 tolls are going and there’s yet another step forward to try to revive the Excelsior Club site.
Trump to get "routine annual" medical exam 7 months after last visit to Walter Reed
White House boasts Trump's "excellent health" as questions loom over the medical reality of the oldest inaugurated president.
Woodbine Docuseries Finalist In Two Categories For Prestigious Sports Award
Woodbine Entertainment’s docuseries, “Woodbine: Free Rein”, has been named a finalist in two categories for the prestigious 8th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards, presented by The Engagement Academy of Sports Entertainment (EASE), which recognizes excellence in engagement across the sports, media, and ...
"Every Xbox controller can be calibrated": This app's "historic breakthrough" claims to fix Xbox stick drift forever
Stick drift can ruin an otherwise excellent gaming experience, but DriftGuard has an answer.
Trump faces health questions ahead of another Walter Reed trip
The president trumpets claims that he is in excellent health, but independent physicians say the White House hasn't answered key questions ahead of his third visit in 13 months.
'Excellent finish' and 'Carrick has worked miracles'
Michael: At last we are seeing the true United after years of dross. Twelve months on from the horrible Europa final between Tottenham and United, and it's United who have shown progress this year, and we've been rewarded for it. Anthony: Carrick has inculcated in the squad a level of expectation which has translated into consistency of performance and expectation so refreshing to see.
Science Trains the Mind. It Must Also Train the Person
Technical excellence does not automatically lead to professionalism. Trainees must learn human skills like communication and accountability to achieve scientific success.
Red Sox 5, Twins 6: Sloppy Sweep
The conditions at Fenway Park were sloppy for Sunday’s series finale between the Red Sox and Twins. It rained at various intensities from the first pitch to the last, and while the grounds crew did an excellent job keeping the field playable, the conditions were a factor. For the Red Sox, that manifested in the […]
21 assists: Bruno Fernandes joins the Premier League legends 👑
Into the history books.This Sunday, Manchester United wrap up their excellent 2025-2026 Premier League season away at Brighton. In a final outing that saw Bruno Fernandes, named Player of the Season t...
Science teacher at Fisher Hill Elementary School in Orange earns accolades
Chrislyn Newton, a dedicated science educator, receives a Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award for her passion and commitment to students.
Dr. Julie Bazan receives UT Health SA Presidential Excellence Award
Dr. Julie Bazan recently received a Presidential Excellence Award from UT Health San Antonio for her contributions to health education, workforce development and community well being.
Trump administration releases $40 million for Colorado water project
The Trump administration on Friday released $40 million, clearing the way for a water district and its partners to finish funding the purchase of some of the state’s most senior Colorado River water rights, Gov. Jared Polis announced. Federal funding for the Shoshone water rights owned by Public Service Company, a division of Xcel Energy, […]
Corridor Media Group wins seven AABP editorial excellence awards
The Corridor Media Group, parent company of the Corridor Business Journal and the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal, took home seven total Editorial and Design Excellence awards from the Alliance of Area Business Publishers’ annual international competition, this year hosted by Greater Wilmington Business Journal in Wilmington, North Carolina. Both the Corridor Business Journal and […]
CCHCS honors nursing excellence across California
California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) honored outstanding nurses and health care leaders during the Nursing Excellence Awards.
Microsoft is letting Office users remove an annoying Copilot button
A floating Copilot button has irritated Excel users the most.
OneCornell Health Educators Conference Inspires Teaching Excellence Across Disciplines
More than 150 educators gathered in person and virtually May 16-17 at Weill Cornell Medicine for the OneCornell Health Educators Conference.
OneCornell health educators conference inspires teaching excellence across disciplines
More than 150 educators gathered in-person and virtually May 16-17 at Weill Cornell Medicine for the OneCornell Health Educators Conference.
UNCG Graduate Student Excels in Science and Leadership
UNCG graduate student Nooshin KianvashRad is advancing nanoscience research while leading campus initiatives and inspiring others.
Jeremy Nathans honored at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Four Doctors Awards
Nathans received the inaugural Welch Award for Excellence in Basic Science Research recognizing exceptional leadership and significant contributions to science
AHA wins 2 Telly Awards for behavioral health video series
The AHA has won two Telly Awards for its three-part video series, Voices of Leadership: Breaking Mental Health Stigma. The Telly Awards, a global competition founded in 1979, honor excellence in video and television across all platforms. The AHA is a Silver Telly Winner in the Online — Public Interest and Awareness Category, and a Bronze Telly Award Winner in the Social Video — Motivational and Advice Category.
HBJ wins 6 national business journalism awards, earns top newspaper honor
The Hartford Business Journal won six national editorial excellence awards from the Alliance of Area Business Publishers, including a gold award for best newspaper in the medium-sized tabloid category. The […]
Excel Sports and WIN Artists Team Up on Sports Entertainment Deals
Excel Sports Management is teaming with the ex-WME mogul's WIN Artists to give clients more opportunities in media — even as both firms are also circling Casey Wasserman's The Team.
Excel Sports and WIN Artists Team Up on Sports Entertainment Deals
Excel Sports Management is teaming with the ex-WME mogul's WIN Artists to give clients more opportunities in media — even as both firms are also circling Casey Wasserman's The Team.
Curiosity Guides 2026 Keller Award Winners
Doctoral graduates Anna Yaschenko and Junjian Wang knew early on that genetics would be part of their future. In NC State labs, their innovative research earned them recognition as the 2026 recipients of the Kenneth R. Keller Research Award.
Dr. Francesca L. Beaudoin named School of Public Health dean at Brown
Currently serving as interim dean, the accomplished physician and scholar will advance academic excellence, expand research and provide strategic direction for the school.
Sabres reportedly stayed in hotel ahead of hosting Canadiens for Game 7 amid home game struggles
Buffalo has had excellent luck on the road this postseason, going 5-1 in away playoff games, but have gone 2-4 at home.
Nominations Open for Annual NJBIA-NJ Business Magazine's 'Awards for Excellence'
New Jersey Business Magazine is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Awards for Excellence competition, powered by NJBIA, which recognizes outstanding businesses and their leaders who have improved New Jersey’s economic climate and quality of life. Awards will be given for Executive of the Year, Outstanding Employer, Community Service and Excellence in Disability Inclusion. Winners will be[...]
Marvel Cosmic Invasion DLC adds Cyclops and The Thing, more DLC to follow
Dotemu and Tribute Games revealed DLC plans for Marvel Cosmic Invasion, starting with the arrival of Cyclops and The Thing today. This first DLC is out today on Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch. Here’s some information about the new DLC characters: The Thing: The Fantastic Four’s heaviest hitter brings his cosmic radiation-induced might to the fray, excelling in Marvel Cosmic...
New MatterChat Model Helps AI to ‘See’ the Language of Science
From writing emails to generating computer code, much of the artificial intelligence prevalent in our daily lives has succeeded by mastering one domain: text. However, this leaves a major blind spot in the physical sciences, where models depend on the high-resolution, three-dimensional data of the physical world, like the intricate lattice of atoms in a crystal. Delivering on the promise of using AI for science requires teaching these data-driven text models to seamlessly “talk to” physics-based models. Now, a new AI framework from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), called MatterChat, solves this problem by creating a specialized “bridge.” It connects the conversational power of a Large Language Model (LLM) with a physics-based AI that models “interatomic potentials”: the complex physical forces between atoms. The resulting system already significantly outperforms general-purpose AI tools like GPT-4 at predicting material properties, and the team hopes it can accelerate scientific discovery by serving as a robust research partner that provides grounded insights and generates step-by-step instructions for synthesizing novel materials. A paper describing this work was recently published in Nature Machine Intelligence. “Traditional simulations can provide the physical rigor required for materials science, yet their computational cost remains prohibitive for high-throughput screening. Conversely, while LLMs excel at rapid knowledge synthesis, they inherently lack the ‘structural vision’ to interpret materials directly from their underlying atomic coordinates,” said Yingheng Tang, a postdoctoral researcher in Berkeley Lab’s Applied Math and Computational Research Division (AMCR) and lead author on the paper. “MatterChat was built to solve this dilemma, empowering LLMs with a structural ‘vision’ that allows researchers to leverage their full potential for solving complex, real-world materials challenges.” Empowering language models to solve complex challenges in materials science To build MatterChat, the Berkeley Lab team drew inspiration from technologies like Vision Question Answering (VQA) and Text-to-Image (T2I) generation. In these tasks, AI must translate high-level text concepts into visual images, or vice versa. Doing so requires developers to build tools that “bridge” two fundamentally different forms of data. The researchers adapted this concept to the physical sciences. With MatterChat, they created a “bridge model” that successfully connects an LLM’s general knowledge with the deep understanding of the atomic-scale world encoded in scientific interatomic potentials. Until now, researchers using LLMs to solve materials problems usually had to feed them raw data files as if they were just strings of text. It’s like asking an AI to understand a complex 3D engine based only on a parts list: the LLM can read the names, but it can’t “see” how the atoms fit together in space. MatterChat solves this by training a specialized AI bridge model, pre-trained on millions of crystal structures and an LLM, to align the LLM’s representation of the world with the interatomic potential’s representation of the world. The bridge model can translate physical insights into a format the LLM can actually understand. By giving the LLM these “scientific eyes”— a scientific “inductive bias” in the terminology of AI — the Berkeley Lab team has transformed it into a robust research tool capable of providing grounded scientific insights into complex materials challenges, such as predicting thermal stability or analyzing electronic band gaps. “We think of atoms as living in a physical space, but from a machine learning perspective, they are just vectors living in some very non-trivially structured manifold in a high-dimensional Euclidean space; and, of course, the same is true for the sentences and paragraphs that we use to express our ideas about those atoms,” said co-author Michael Mahoney, Berkeley Lab’s Scientific Data Division (SDD) AI Initiative Research Lead. “The bridge model basically gets those two structures to ‘talk with’ each other.” As a proof-of-concept of this general approach, the team trained their bridge model on a dataset curated by pairing nearly 143,000 stable atomic structures from the Materials Project with their corresponding physical properties. This training data was automatically assembled using the Materials Project’s API and deliberately enriched with properties fundamental to microelectronics design — like formation energy and bandgap — allowing MatterChat to learn the complex patterns connecting a material’s atomic blueprint to its functional performance. To validate their model, the researchers benchmarked MatterChat against a suite of other AI systems, from general-purpose LLMs to other specialized scientific AI methods. The results show that MatterChat consistently outperformed its competitors across a range of tasks. The model was more accurate in classifying material types and demonstrated superior precision in predicting numerical properties. For example, it excelled at predicting a material’s bandgap, a property critical for designing new electronics from high-capacity energy storage to next-generation computer chips. “Our design is significantly more efficient because we don’t have to build a massive AI model from the ground up,” said co-author Zhi (Jackie) Yao, a research scientist in Berkeley Lab’s AMCR. “Instead, we take two powerful, pre-trained models — a structural encoder for materials physics and an open-source LLM — and use them off-the-shelf. The only component we actually train is the lightweight ‘bridge model’ that translates between them. It’s the difference between building an entire car factory and simply designing a smart adapter that connects a world-class engine to a world-class navigation system. This approach is not only computationally efficient, but also makes the system modular, so we can easily upgrade components or adapt the bridge for other scientific domains in the future.” Crucially, this modular design highlights exactly how institutions like Berkeley Lab and the Department of Energy are carving out a highly valuable niche in the booming AI landscape. Rather than competing with Silicon Valley tech giants to build ever-larger language models from scratch, the lab is focusing on the specialized connective tissue that makes commercial AI useful for hardcore science. Because the bridge model approach underlying MatterChat is forward-compatible, it is perfectly positioned to leverage these parallel tracks of innovation. As Mahoney pointed out, “We expect that industry will continue to develop improved LLMs, and we expect domain scientists and facilities will continue to generate new data. An important part of scientific machine learning is not simply to solve problems on today’s data, but instead to develop general methods that will be forward-compatible with orders of magnitude more data, whether from scientific domains or from LLMs.” According to Yao, the MatterChat project, which was initially developed and enhanced with funding from a Berkeley Lab Laboratory Directed Research & Development (LDRD) Program, will now expand its capabilities. In a collaboration with Fermilab, MatterChat is already contributing to a U.S. Department of Energy Genesis Mission project — called Accelerating eXtreme Environment Specs-to-Silicon (AXESS) — that aims to speed up the development of next-generation, high-speed, radiation-hardened detectors for challenging particle physics experiments by using advanced 3D integrated circuits (chiplets) and AI-driven data analysis. In addition to the LDRD support, the team also credits supercomputing resources at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), located at Berkeley Lab, with MatterChat’s success. “We are incredibly grateful to NERSC; this research simply would not have happened without access to the Perlmutter supercomputer through their AI for Science program,” said Tang. Wenbin Xu, a NERSC postdoctoral fellow at the time, was also a major co-author of the work, as was Benjamin Erichson, a research scientist in Berkeley Lab’s SDD, highlighting the benefits of AMCR-SDD collaboration on AI for science. ### Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is committed to groundbreaking research focused on discovery science and solutions for abundant and reliable energy supplies. The lab’s expertise spans materials, chemistry, physics, biology, earth and environmental science, mathematics, and computing. Researchers from around the world rely on the lab’s world-class scientific facilities for their own pioneering research. Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest problems are best addressed by teams, Berkeley Lab and its scientists have been recognized with 17 Nobel Prizes. Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.
Cortland Athletics wins third straight SUNYAC Commissioner's Cup for all-sports excellence
It's the the 20th time overall that Red Dragons student-athletes have claimed the trophy since the competition began in the 1996-97 season.
Inside Amer Sports: Retail excellence in Shanghai
“Inside Amer Sports” is a new video series offering a behind-the-scenes look at the people, places, and experiences shaping Amer Sports around the world.
Sooo ... About Last Night
Last night (Sat., May 16, 2026), Netflix hosted its first-ever MMA event, the MVP MMA 1 card from Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. It was great to have another player in the MMA scene! MVP MMA’s inaugural event brought an exciting mix of legendary names from years past as well as some truly excellent up-and-coming […]
Intel’s NUCs Live On… as an Excessive Asus Mini Gaming PC
The Asus ROG NUC 16 seems like an excellent console-like PC until you see its supposed price.
Mercer Health earns Numerous National Awards for Excellence in Care
Mercer Health continues to earn national recognition for delivering exceptional healthcare. Multiple prestigious organizations have honored Mercer Health for its outstanding patient experience, clinical excellence, and commitment to quality care. Newsweek Best-In-State Mercer Health has been named one of Newsweek’s Best‑In‑State Hospitals for 2026, a distinction awarded to hospitals that demonstrate superior performance across patient […]
Spring Sports: Another Marra excelling on the draw for Pinkerton
Melayna Marra decided that the draw was hers.
AMNH Presents For the Win: Objects of Sports Excellence
New York, N.Y. - On May 15, the American Museum of Natural History will open For the Win: Objects of Sports Excellence , a special exhibition that celebrates the artistry, history, and cultural impact of the world’s most coveted athletic prizes. The exhibition will open in the Melissa and Keith Meister Gallery, part of the Museum’s Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals, and will showcase more than 70 championship rings, trophies, medals, and jewelry spanning nearly 150 years of sports history. For the Win opens in advance of FIFA World Cup 2026™ and kicks off World Cup, World Cultures: Celebrating the Community and Science of Sport, a series of programs and experiences at the Museum for New Yorkers and visiting fans from around the world.
State honors Utica business owner at 'Dominicans in Albany'
Mohawk Valley Dominican business leaders, including Utica's Excellent Tape owner Oscar Martinez, recognized at annual "Dominicans in Albany," May 11.
Pranav Dixit wins excellence in reporting award from AAJA
Business Insider's Pranav Dixit has won an AAJA Excellence Award for his three-part series, "Caught Between Countries: Tech Workers Navigate Trump's Visa Chaos."
University awards recognize Notre Dame faculty excellence - Notre Dame Business Mendoza College of Business
Gina Shropshire, associate advising professor, received an award in recognition of her service as an undergraduate academic advisor